Dover Straits, Dunkirk, IJmuiden, North European Coast, Kiel Canal, Baltic Sea, Copenhagen
Sail to the Baltic and back June/July 2023
This is a voyage on board Nectaris, our 42ft fast cruiser, from Southampton to Copenhagen in Denmark and back. We will be getting there and back with two mile-building legs in each direction, with a change over stop in IJmuiden (the north sea port closest to Amsterdam).
There are 4 legs to choose from.
- The first leg goes from Southampton to IJmuiden in the Netherlands on 12-18 June (319nm)
- The second leg goes from IJmuiden to Copenhagen on 19-25 June (430nm)
- The third leg is from Copenhagen to IJmuiden on 17-23 July (430nm)
- The fourth leg is from IJmuiden to Southampton on 24-30 July (319nm)
These are predominantly mile building trips and great for anyone working towards Yachtmaster or just wanting to build miles and get experience of sailing along the South coast of the UK, through the Dover Straits, along the north European coast, through the the Kiel Canal and in the Baltic. Each leg will involve some night sailing, sometimes for the whole night. You will be in a watch system. The skipper, an RYA Yachtmaster Instructor, will always be on hand.
These trips are aimed at Coastal Skippers or above and those needing to build tidal miles for Yachtmaster Coastal or Yachtmaster Offshore. We would consider Day Skippers depending on previous experience.
Some time has been factored in for sight seeing and also for any delays due to adverse weather.
Leg 1 Southampton to IJmuiden Amsterdam 12-18 June
Departing from Southampton the plan will be to head out of the Solent past Selsey Bill to Sovereign harbour in Eastbourne for an over night stop. Timing the tide right the next day you will head along the coast passing Rye, the power station at Dungeness, Folkstone and into Dover for another stop over before heading across the Channel to Dunkirk.
The hop across the channel will take the slightly longer route to Dunkirk so that you will be well poised for the longer trip northward up the European coast to IJmuiden. There are a number of busy shipping lanes and Traffic Separation Schemes to navigate as well as large numbers of fishing vessels.
The final passage of this trip from Dunkirk up to IJmuiden will take you overnight past the French, Belgian and some of the Dutch coast up to the entrance of the Elbe. You will cross the entrance to the Europort at Rotterdam and then pass the Hague and the Zandvoort motor circuit.
IJmuiden is the North Sea port that connects directly to Amsterdam. It’s a short bus/taxi journey across to the Dutch Capital and Schipol airport. Plan A will be to get in to IJmuiden on the Friday 16th, giving you Saturday to spend a day in Amsterdam.
Total miles around 320nm.
You will join the boat in Shamrock Quay, Southampton for 8pm on 11th June and depart the boat in IJmuiden at 10am on 18th June.
Leg 2 IJmuiden to Copenhagen 19-25 June
Leaving the large double breakwater port at IJmuiden you will turn north to run up the Dutch coast which then turns eastwards towards the Friesen Islands. As you pass the entrance to the Ems you will enter German waters and continue along the string of islands. The end of these marks the entrance to Wilhelmshaven and the mouth of the Wesser. The next estuary is the Elbe and here you will turn to starboard and make your way to the locks at Brunsbuttle.
Brunsbuttle marks the entrance to the 53nm long Kiel Canal. Once inside the Kiel canal we will wait for an early morning start so that we can transit the canal in daylight. The canal was built in the late nineteenth century to cut the passage time around the Skagerack and feeds directly into the southern Baltic. The canal takes large freight vessels - so we will be keeping well to the side of the channel! Once in Kiel we should stop in one of the local marinas before setting off for the final stage through the Baltic.
The final leg north will take us across the Baltic and over to towards the Gedser peninsula. It’s then a run up the coast of Denmark to the Mandemark headland, then across the Fakse Bugt to Sigerslev. The last stretch is dominated by the Oresund Bridge which we will pass under before entering the magnificent harbour area of Copenhagen. Blink and you’ll miss the little mermaid…
Total miles around 430nm.
You should aim to join the boat in IJmuiden for 8pm on 18th June and depart the boat in Copenhagen at 10am on 8th June.
Leg 3 Copenhagen to IJmuiden 17-23 July
Departing the harbour basin in Copenhagen we will pass under the Oresund Bridge that stretches across to Malmo and Sweden, famous of course at least for many Scandi-noir detectives. As we track south we will cross the Koge Bugt towards the headland around Sigerslev and then beyond to the peninsula of Mandemarke.
Departing the Danish coast we will then cut across towards the German mainland around Fehmarn and then follow the coast before entering the Kiel basin that marks the start of the 53nm Kiel Canal. We will start early to transit the canal so that it and the locks at the far end in Brunsbuttle can be done in daylight.
After the canal and once we have made our way down the Elbe into the North Sea it's a turn to port and then we’ll track along the coast, passing the entrance to the Wesser and Wilhelmshaven and along the Friesian islands, eventually turning more southerly. We’ll then pass Den Helder and finally stop at Ijmuiden.
IJmuiden is the North Sea port that connects directly to Amsterdam. It’s a short bus/taxi journey across to the Dutch Capital and Schipol airport. Plan A will be to get in to IJmuiden on the Friday 16th, giving you Saturday to spend a day in Amsterdam.
Total miles around 430nm.
You should aim to join the boat in Copenhagen for 8pm on 16th July and depart the boat in IJmuiden at 10am on 23rd July.
Leg 4 IJmuiden to Southampton on 24-30 July
Our return leg includes a longer north sea passage westward across to Lowestoft. We’ll need to navigate around the various navigation schemes and lots of traffic before getting back into UK waters. Lowestoft is the most easterly point of the UK and has easily accessible berths at the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht club just inside the breakwater.
Leaving Lowestoft we'll first pass the entrance to the Orwell at Felixstowe before crossing the mouth of the Thames estuary, staying offshore to work between the windfarms and shoals. Once past North Foreland we’ll take the long channel into Ramsgate and a final sharp turn to starboard will take us into the inner harbour and the marina.
Once out of Ramsgate we’ll ride the tide as far as possible down past Dover and onto Dungeness. It’s then on past Rye and Hastings before heading into the Marina at Sovereign Harbour.
The final leg is past Beachy Head, the harbour at Newhaven and Brighton and then through the Boulder gap off Selsey Bill. We’ll then cut across towards the main channel into Portsmouth Harbour before entering the Solent and working our way back up to Southampton.
Total miles around 320nm.
You should aim to join the boat in IJmuiden for 8pm on 23rd July and depart the boat in Shamrock Quay in Southampton at 10am on 30th July.
Some general information
The yacht is a Barberis Show 42. She has a grey hull and teak decks.
Down below there is a double cabin and 2 single berths in the saloon available. There are 2 heads.
If you would like to book as a couple then a double cabin can be made available for you. Call us to discuss.
These legs may not be for the faint hearted. You do want to have done some sailing before and ideally be at Coastal Skipper level or above. You will need to be prepared to get stuck in to every aspect of life on board.
If you have any special dietary requirements, be it vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, gluten free, or allergies, we can normally accommodate these. Just let us know when you fill out your booking form. We provide food that is healthy and nutritious, including salads, vegetables, white and wholemeal bread, chicken, lean minced beef, salmon, muesli and cereal. In fact, just the kind of food that you might buy yourself. For snacks there is plenty of fruit, but also a supply of chocolate and biscuits.
Also included is waterproofs (if needed), fuel, gas, all safety equipment, instructor and accommodation on board.
The only additional costs are mooring fees. It depends on where you end up at night. Anchorages are free, buoys are usually very cheap and marinas cost. If you budgeted on between £50/£80 for the trip you should be fine.
We are fully insured but we would strongly advise that you get your own travel insurance from a company such as TopSail Insurance that specialise in maritime travel insurance.
Of course you will need a valid Passport and also please ensure that you have any visas that are applicable to you.
Travel
Getting to/from Southampton - the mainline train station is Southampton Central. The boat will be at Shamrock Quay which is a short taxi ride away. The closet airport is Southampton Airport Parkway. Heathrow and Gatwick airports are about 1.30/3 hours away.
For travel to/from IJmuiden - Amsterdam is only half an hour or so by road from IJmuiden. The closest airport to IJmuiden is Amsterdam Schipol Airport which is about 30km away and you can catch a train/taxi/bus from there.
Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup is an international airport. From there the centre is a 15 minute train ride followed by a short taxi/walk to the marina.
Baltic Sailing - Dates
1 Person (Shared Cabin)
£ 10491 Person (Own Cabin)
£ 1499A Couple (Own Cabin)
£ 28001 Person (Shared Cabin)
£ 10491 Person (Own Cabin)
£ 1499A Couple (Own Cabin)
£ 28001 Person (Shared Cabin)
£ 10491 Person (Own Cabin)
£ 1499A Couple (Own Cabin)
£ 28001 Person (Shared Cabin)
£ 10491 Person (Own Cabin)
£ 1499A Couple (Own Cabin)
£ 2800
